Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Back in Black
Yowza, Facebook can do a blog damage - almost a year later, and I'm back, ready to get this blog going again. The reason? I've been selected to be a Technologist for the upcoming BYTE.COM, the venerable computer magazine from the golden age of computing. I'm thrilled and honored to have a voice in this important journal, and it made sense to get this blog rolling again to accompany my efforts over there, where I'll be doing a regular column dubbed "The Realist". LOTS more to come. :-)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
41 Years Ago
I'm lucky enough to have been alive for the single most important moment in human history, the first time humans stepped out onto another celestial body.
41 years ago today, July 20, 1969, we made it to the Moon.
This mind-boggling technical - and human - triumph never ceases to amaze and astound me, and bring up a sense of pride that I find almost impossible to muster any other way. It makes me truly sad to hear teens and 20-somethings address this amazing event with a combination of snark and apathy; in their lives, they've never known something so momentous, unique, a few minutes that brought all humanity together with the deepest sense of connection and pride. To those bravest souls who faced the unknown with fierce determination, and in some cases, gave their lives, I salute you for your courage and sheer chutzpah. Just try to imagine what it felt like, hurtling through the darkness of space, all sense of reality skewed, knowing that one bad decision could strand you and your crewmates to the coldness of the infinite. It just takes my breath away.
41 years ago today, July 20, 1969, we made it to the Moon.
This mind-boggling technical - and human - triumph never ceases to amaze and astound me, and bring up a sense of pride that I find almost impossible to muster any other way. It makes me truly sad to hear teens and 20-somethings address this amazing event with a combination of snark and apathy; in their lives, they've never known something so momentous, unique, a few minutes that brought all humanity together with the deepest sense of connection and pride. To those bravest souls who faced the unknown with fierce determination, and in some cases, gave their lives, I salute you for your courage and sheer chutzpah. Just try to imagine what it felt like, hurtling through the darkness of space, all sense of reality skewed, knowing that one bad decision could strand you and your crewmates to the coldness of the infinite. It just takes my breath away.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
This Amazing Planet
There's an important interview that Bill Moyers did with famed biologist E. O. Wilson a few years ago, dealing with the issue of the diversity of life on this planet. Like all Moyers' work, it's a truly insightful interview, but there's one particular point that really opened my eyes when I first heard it - right at the beginning, Wilson emphatically states that we've yet to discover the majority of species of life on this planet - perhaps 90% of the life on this planet is unknown to us. And this isn't some wild-eyed lunatic from the fringes of society making this claim, we're talking about one of the most respected and capable scientists alive today.
Given these facts, I was fascinated to see this news item today, about the discovery of a variety of species of life thought to be extinct, or new lifeforms altogether, at the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.
I've been saying it for years - the true history of life on this planet is still mostly a baffling mystery, and every day, we discover how much we've yet to learn about the nature of reality, the Universe, this planet and ourselves.
Given these facts, I was fascinated to see this news item today, about the discovery of a variety of species of life thought to be extinct, or new lifeforms altogether, at the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.
I've been saying it for years - the true history of life on this planet is still mostly a baffling mystery, and every day, we discover how much we've yet to learn about the nature of reality, the Universe, this planet and ourselves.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Australian report on Gulf disaster
Apparently, the criminals over at BP had this video removed from the web already, so watch this while you can:
Monday, July 5, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
NASA Images of Gulf
This is scary, and makes the situation a little, um, clearer:
Take note that this image sequence reflects just the first month, we're already into the second month of this disaster, and these pictures show just what's near the surface of the water. I've also read some estimates that this particular field might have up to 50 billion barrels of crude oil, and no one knows when - or if - the situation can be remedied.
Totally terrifying, to say the least.
Take note that this image sequence reflects just the first month, we're already into the second month of this disaster, and these pictures show just what's near the surface of the water. I've also read some estimates that this particular field might have up to 50 billion barrels of crude oil, and no one knows when - or if - the situation can be remedied.
Totally terrifying, to say the least.
Friday, June 25, 2010
The Gulf Disaster
Here is yet another clear indication that we're not being told what is really going on down in the Gulf:
Absolutely horrific.
SUNDAY, JUNE 27 - The video has "been removed by the user". Huh, that's odd. VERY odd.
HERE is a link to a CNN story about her husband...
Absolutely horrific.
SUNDAY, JUNE 27 - The video has "been removed by the user". Huh, that's odd. VERY odd.
HERE is a link to a CNN story about her husband...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Dave Berry is The Tourist
An old, close friend of mine, David Berry, happens to be an amazing filmmaker and animator, and this is one of his outstanding creations, a tour-de-force of time-lapse photography and sheer creativity.
The Tourist from David Berry on Vimeo.
I was present as a helper with the footage shot in New York City - that was a fun day, it's interesting how New Yorkers almost never seem surprised at anything on the street, even a couple of guys shooting some wacky video.
The last movie I worked on was with Dave, we got called in to do some visual effects work on David Arquette's directorial debut, The Tripper.
It was a blast, we were referred to Arquette by Dave's old friend Paul Ruebens, who was in the film, and who also has a thing about the craft services tent - Paul is truly one of the most gracious, fun people you could ever hope to hang with, and it wasn't the first time I had spent time with him.
Oh, the stories from those days on set. And the evenings - that one night we made the resort where the "A-list" folks were staying, keep the clubhouse open so the cast and select crew members could get sloshed late into the night (I normally don't do alcohol, but, well, oh boy)...
Good times.
The Tourist from David Berry on Vimeo.
I was present as a helper with the footage shot in New York City - that was a fun day, it's interesting how New Yorkers almost never seem surprised at anything on the street, even a couple of guys shooting some wacky video.
The last movie I worked on was with Dave, we got called in to do some visual effects work on David Arquette's directorial debut, The Tripper.
It was a blast, we were referred to Arquette by Dave's old friend Paul Ruebens, who was in the film, and who also has a thing about the craft services tent - Paul is truly one of the most gracious, fun people you could ever hope to hang with, and it wasn't the first time I had spent time with him.
Oh, the stories from those days on set. And the evenings - that one night we made the resort where the "A-list" folks were staying, keep the clubhouse open so the cast and select crew members could get sloshed late into the night (I normally don't do alcohol, but, well, oh boy)...
Good times.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Perfect "Robot" Movie
Years ago, my brother Barry told me how much he adored the often overlooked Robin Williams film, "Bicentennial Man". Released around the same time as some other questionable Williams vehicles (like Patch Adams), it was basically a financial flop, and has essentially been forgotten. Realizing that it was available on Netflix streaming services, I decided to finally watch it, and I was floored. It's nothing short of a masterpiece of storytelling, a rumination on the nature of humanity and empathy, and the relationship between people and the technology we create to make our lives better.
Originally marketed as a comedy, it's a serious, engaging and well-written fable, a modern Pinocchio, perfect for these times and technological trappings. Adapted from a story (The Positronic Man) written by one of my favorite authors, Isaac Asimov, the dialog is intelligent and thoughtful in a way that few commercial films can ever aspire to, and the cast is just wonderful (I adore Oliver Pratt as the engineer who keeps upgrading Andrew over the years). While there are certainly very funny moments, this is not a comedy at all, but a drama with comedic touches. The robot, Andrew, undergoes an evolution that mirrors that of the thoughtful mind, an increasing awareness of the human environment he inhabits - yet is separate from - and the understanding that reality is what we make of it. This might be one of the best adaptions of an Asimov story to the screen - if anyone reading this cares to challenge this opinion, show me the frames.
Not a great trailer, but it'll give you the general gist of the film
By the end of the movie, I was in tears. Very few movies are this fulfilling, uplifting, capable of making me feel more alive and in the moment. The Bicentennial Man is a modern classic, and anyone doubting Williams' acting range, should take a couple of hours and immerse themselves in a film that's pretty darned close to being nothing less than awesome. The ending might be one of the most moving, romantic and satisfying few minutes I've ever seen in any film, and left me swooning. It's a wonderful "date film" - at least, for the kind of woman I'd like to watch it with, who would appreciate it as much I as do.
A footnote - one of the movie reviewers I usually agree with, Ebert, gave this movie two out of four stars, and he apparently felt that the movie started strong, and ended weakly, essentially coming to the conclusion that, "Bicentennial Man begins with promise, proceeds in fits and starts, and finally sinks into a cornball drone of greeting-card sentiment". I have to respectfully disagree with Ebert, I felt tremendously satisfied, especially towards the end. To each their own, I suppose.
Originally marketed as a comedy, it's a serious, engaging and well-written fable, a modern Pinocchio, perfect for these times and technological trappings. Adapted from a story (The Positronic Man) written by one of my favorite authors, Isaac Asimov, the dialog is intelligent and thoughtful in a way that few commercial films can ever aspire to, and the cast is just wonderful (I adore Oliver Pratt as the engineer who keeps upgrading Andrew over the years). While there are certainly very funny moments, this is not a comedy at all, but a drama with comedic touches. The robot, Andrew, undergoes an evolution that mirrors that of the thoughtful mind, an increasing awareness of the human environment he inhabits - yet is separate from - and the understanding that reality is what we make of it. This might be one of the best adaptions of an Asimov story to the screen - if anyone reading this cares to challenge this opinion, show me the frames.
Not a great trailer, but it'll give you the general gist of the film
By the end of the movie, I was in tears. Very few movies are this fulfilling, uplifting, capable of making me feel more alive and in the moment. The Bicentennial Man is a modern classic, and anyone doubting Williams' acting range, should take a couple of hours and immerse themselves in a film that's pretty darned close to being nothing less than awesome. The ending might be one of the most moving, romantic and satisfying few minutes I've ever seen in any film, and left me swooning. It's a wonderful "date film" - at least, for the kind of woman I'd like to watch it with, who would appreciate it as much I as do.
A footnote - one of the movie reviewers I usually agree with, Ebert, gave this movie two out of four stars, and he apparently felt that the movie started strong, and ended weakly, essentially coming to the conclusion that, "Bicentennial Man begins with promise, proceeds in fits and starts, and finally sinks into a cornball drone of greeting-card sentiment". I have to respectfully disagree with Ebert, I felt tremendously satisfied, especially towards the end. To each their own, I suppose.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The Wright Brothers & Apollo 11
I've been reading the excellent biography of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, "First Man" - it's the only authorized book about Armstrong's life in existence, and it's only been out a few years. Anything dealing with the space program has always deeply fascinated me - one of my main "comfort food" DVDs is "For All Mankind", a stunning montage of moon mission footage and shimmering Brian Eno music that I can watch over and over, engaging and uplifting my spirits like few other things. I feel so very lucky to have been alive to witness this event, the moment we first stepped onto another celestial body.
In the book, I stumbled upon a detail I had never heard about before: each of the three Apollo 11 astronauts had a small, lunch-size bag sized pouch called a "Personal Preference Kit" (PPK), a teflon-coated bag that could weigh no more than 5 pounds, contents included. These were meant for the astronauts to be able to bring personal momentos to and from the Moon. The discretion about the contents of the PPKs was left completely to the astronauts, and while some have even auctioned off items they took on the journey, very little is known about the contents of Armstrong's PPK. In "First Man", a detail jumped out at me, and literally brought a tear to my eye: Armstrong apparently made an arrangement with the National U.S. Air Force Museum, and had been given a small piece of wood from the propeller of the Wright Brother's famous 1903 flyer, as well as a 8x13 inch piece of muslin fabric from the left wing, to include in his PPK.
The deeply touching symbolism of taking those pieces of the first flying machine to the Moon and back, just leaves me with a huge grin and a soft glow in my heart.
They also left some interesting items on the moon (at the very last moment before shutting the hatch - they almost forgot, according to the book), including a pair of Soviet-made medallions honoring Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Komarov, as well as patches for Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, who had all died in a tragic launch pad fire incident.
In the book, I stumbled upon a detail I had never heard about before: each of the three Apollo 11 astronauts had a small, lunch-size bag sized pouch called a "Personal Preference Kit" (PPK), a teflon-coated bag that could weigh no more than 5 pounds, contents included. These were meant for the astronauts to be able to bring personal momentos to and from the Moon. The discretion about the contents of the PPKs was left completely to the astronauts, and while some have even auctioned off items they took on the journey, very little is known about the contents of Armstrong's PPK. In "First Man", a detail jumped out at me, and literally brought a tear to my eye: Armstrong apparently made an arrangement with the National U.S. Air Force Museum, and had been given a small piece of wood from the propeller of the Wright Brother's famous 1903 flyer, as well as a 8x13 inch piece of muslin fabric from the left wing, to include in his PPK.
The deeply touching symbolism of taking those pieces of the first flying machine to the Moon and back, just leaves me with a huge grin and a soft glow in my heart.
They also left some interesting items on the moon (at the very last moment before shutting the hatch - they almost forgot, according to the book), including a pair of Soviet-made medallions honoring Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Komarov, as well as patches for Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, who had all died in a tragic launch pad fire incident.
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